Up From the Ashes
by I Am Your Singer 2006
Summary: A retelling of Disney's Cinderella containing various elements from the original fairy tale and its sequels. Will mostly follow the Disney version, may go AU at the end. Being rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

Preface: The story of _Cinderella _is arguably one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time. Since its original publication by Charles Perrault in 1697, the work has been revised and adapted on numerous occasions, among them the 1950 Walt Disney animated feature film, widely considered one of the studio's best works. I myself have seen the movie countless times. But after watching both of the film's direct-to-video sequels, and reading the original fairy tale, I began to feel that certain parts of the film didn't sit particularly well with me. Since I had been thinking of trying my hand at writing a fanfic, I thought I'd start off with a basic re-telling of _Cinderella_, something that's been done several times before but something people still seem to enjoy. This is my first fanfic, so I don't plan on doing anything particularly major. In fact, you won't notice much (if any) of a difference in the first few chapters, so bear with me. The story will pull various aspects from the original Perrault version, in addition to the Grimm brothers' version, the 1950 Disney film and, to a lesser extent, both direct-to-video sequels, the 1998 film _Ever After_, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, plus a few elements of my own. While this work will feature characters and names from all versions, the story will more or less be left largely intact. The story will also be written as though the reader has never seen the movie, nor read the fairy tale. As this is a _fan _fiction, and since I am mostly making this story up as I go along, I am more than willing to open the story to suggestions, questions, ideas, and concepts that will help flesh out the story more. And of course, please read and review, so that I can improve both my writing and the story.

All characters and songs are property of their respective owners.

Chapter 1: A Dream is a Wish

The sun had just barely risen when Cinderella awoke on a calm July morning. She had long since gotten used to waking up early, but that didn't necessarily make it any easier for her. Ever since the untimely death of her father, Lord Albert Tremaine, ten years earlier, her step-mother, Lady Victoria Tremaine, had turned her into a virtual slave within her own home. This was the same woman that her father had chosen to marry after the death of her mother, believing that his only daughter still needed a mother. Lady Tremaine had been also married once before, and had two daughters of her own, Anastasia and Drizella, both of whom were around the same age as Cinderella. Even though her stepsisters were just as beautiful as Cinderella, she outshone both of them in terms of kindness, charm, and grace. When they first met, her stepsisters really couldn't be considered unpleasant. In fact, they both got along reasonably well with Cinderella. But Lady Tremaine saw Cinderella as a threat to her own daughters' future prospects, and so, out of jealousy, she tried to keep her out of the picture once her father had died, and she was powerless against her.

She in turn proceeded to spoil her own two daughters beyond reason. While Cinderella had virtually no possessions, Anastasia and Drizella were given nearly anything they wanted, including clothes, jewelry, and, while they were still children, toys. They were always well-fed and they were given every luxury possible. In time, they too were turned against Cinderella, at the influence of their mother. Lady Tremaine constantly told her daughters that Cinderella was insignificant, beneath them in every way imaginable, and that she deserved nothing from them. This especially hurt Cinderella. Still mourning her father's death, she now had to endure seeing her two step-sisters, whom she had once seen as friends, turn against her and become nearly as cruel as their mother.

For the past ten years, it befell upon Cinderella to wake up at dawn, and sometimes before dawn, and do every single household chore, day in and day out. This included such menial tasks as feeding the animals, cleaning the house, and cooking meals for her stepmother, as well as her stepsisters. Sometimes she would also be sent into town to do shopping. Her stepsisters constantly berated her and never showed any sort of gratitude for her work, even though she was far more capable of these things than they were. She rarely, if ever, had a moment to herself, finishing every day completely exhausted, her entire body covered in dirt and sweat, before retiring to her room at the top of the tower within the Chateau. During the winter months, she was forced to sleep closer to the fire in order to keep warm, and she would wake up each morning covered in soot, which give rise to such derisive nicknames as "Cinder wench," as Drizella would call her, or "Cinderella," as Anastasia called her. She had long since forgotten the last time anyone had called her by her given name of Katharine. For ten years she had endured this, and yet her spirit was never broken. She had never stopped hoping that perhaps someday she could reconcile with her stepsisters and make things as they once were.

In those early waking moments of that July morning, Cinderella tried to enjoy the tranquility before being called once again to the selfish demands of her stepfamily. But this morning, she was finding it particularly difficult, as a pair of bluebirds had flown through her window and perched themselves on one of her bedposts, chirping loudly. She groaned softly and placed her pillow over her head, trying to drown out the sound. But this only made the birds all the more determined to get her attention. One of the birds perched itself on her front bedpost while the other landed right next to her pillow and began chirping again. When the bird wasn't looking, Cinderella gently flicked at its tail, causing the bird to jump back and fly back up to the bed post, before settling there and chirping furiously at her. Cinderella softly giggled as she sat up in bed, indicating that she meant no ill.

"Well, it serves you right," she said with a sly grin on her face, "chirping and interrupting someone's dream like that."

The bird almost immediately calmed down, and then responded by gesturing back towards the open window with its wing, chirping rather persistently and cheerfully.

"Well yes, I can see that it's a lovely day," Cinderella conceded before sighing wistfully, "but it was an even lovelier dream."

The bird chirped curiously, eager to hear more.

"What kind of a dream?" Cinderella asked, still smiling, before softly shaking her head. "I can't tell you that."

Once more the bird chirped inquisitively. Cinderella realized that the bird would not go away, and that she would not be able to return to her slumber or her dream. But at the same time, it didn't bother her at all. After all, it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if it was a bird who couldn't communicate in anything other than chirps, so she chose to continue the conversation. The two birds focused intently on Cinderella, curiously waiting to hear her explanation.

"Because if you tell a wish, it won't come true, and, after all…" she trailed off as her mind wandered back to when she was just a child…

_…_

_Six-year old Katharine sat by the window, waiting for her father to return from court. Her two stepsisters sat in one corner of the room, playing with their dolls. Anastasia had tried asking her if she would come and play with them, but Katharine seemed content to sit and wait for her father. For a while she was so transfixed on the window that she didn't even her stepsisters calling for her._

_"Katharine!" she finally heard Anastasia shouting her name. She whirled around and saw both of her stepsisters looking at her intently._

_"Won't you come and play with us?" Drizella asked. Katharine sighed. She realized there was no point in sitting by the window. Her father had just left and wouldn't return home for several hours. Sitting by the window wouldn't make him come home any faster. As she climbed down from the window, she picked up her doll and sat down with them._

_A short time later, the three girls heard the sound of horses trotting. The three girls stopped playing with their dolls and quickly looked up. They ran to the window and saw a carriage stopping in front of the main entrance to the chateau. Their father was home early. The three girls quickly ran down the stairs to meet him as he came through the front door. But when they reached the bottom of the stairs, they noticed he looked very distraught as he entered the chateau. He quickly strode past the three girls without so much as looking at them. Katharine began to grow worried. Her father never acted like this before. What had happened? Her stepmother, who had just entered the foyer, shared in that concern and asked, "Albert, what's wrong? Why are you home early?"_

_Albert quickly removed his jacket and handed it off to a maid to hang up. "As soon as I arrived at the castle, I learned that court had been dismissed. The king couldn't meet with us today," he said quickly._

_"That seems strange. Why would he do something like that?"_

_Albert hesitated before opening his mouth to speak, but then closed it before answering. He sighed as he wiped his hand across his forehead. _

_"We lost the queen yesterday. She died in childbirth late last night. The child was stillborn," he finally said, his voice showing that he was choked up._

_Victoria gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, dear, how is…is he…?"_

"_The king has been devastated by this. Apparently the prince is taking it even worse. He hasn't left his room at all today, and the king is trying to do all he can to console him. That's part of the reason why he didn't meet with court today," he said, barely audible. He then appeared to recover and added, "The Grand Duke informed me that he will send for us when he is ready to meet with us again. I've been given certain assignments that I'm to carry out until then, and I should probably begin those now."_

_Lord Tremaine then briskly walked towards the study to begin his work. Anastasia and Drizella, who, along with Katharine, had overheard the conversation, began to head back up the stairs, expecting their stepsister to be right behind them. But when they looked down into the landing, they saw that Katharine was still sitting motionless on the bottom stair, almost as if she were frozen in place._

"_Katharine?" Anastasia asked. "Aren't you coming back upstairs?" But Katharine didn't answer her, and continued to sit completely still. Anastasia called her name once more but to no avail. It was like Katharine didn't even hear her. Anastasia stomped her foot and began shouting at her, but Katharine _still _didn't move. Finally she stood up and Anastasia smiled as she thought her stepsister was rejoining them, but that smile quickly vanished when she saw that Katharine was actually walking _away _from the stairs._

"_Katharine, where are you going?" she asked in annoyance. She moved to walk downstairs before she realized that Drizella was holding her back._

"_Come on. Let's just play without her," she said._

"_But…but…" Anastasia began to protest before Drizella said, "If she doesn't want to play with us, we don't need her." Anastasia reluctantly nodded and followed her sister back to their room._

_Lord Tremaine had sat himself inside his study and had begun to fill out the king's paperwork when he heard what sounded like crying. When he looked up from his desk, he saw his daughter standing in the doorway, her eyes brimming with tears. He quickly got up from his desk and walked over towards her._

"_Katharine, why are you crying?"_

_The little girl tried her best to wrap her arms around her father and said, "I…I…I miss mother."_

_Lord Tremaine nodded softly as he knelt down and said to his daughter. "I miss her, too. But why are you thinking about that now?"_

"_I overheard…what you said…to s-stepmother…about the queen. It r-reminded me of…of…" she began, but her father gently hugged her before she could finish. He had married Victoria so his daughter could still have a mother, but he realized that she would never quite fill the void that had been left behind, for either of them. Albert decided that his work could wait for a while, as he realized that his daughter needed cheering up. He gently picked up Katharine and carried her over to the music room._

"_Father, where are we going?" Katharine asked._

"_You see in just a moment. I think I know what you need," he said reassuringly. Once they had entered the music room, he sat her down in front on the piano and sat himself right next to hear._

"_There was a song your mother used to sing whenever she was upset. I thought maybe it might help you. Now how exactly did it go?" he asked himself, playing a few keys on the piano. After a few tries he found the right key and said, "Aha, here it is. It goes a little something like this." Then he began to sing in a melodious tune, "A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true._

…

Cinderella smiled to herself. Ever since that day, she had sung that same song whenever she felt upset, and almost every time she always felt better afterwards.

Bong!

Suddenly the bells from the Palace clock began to chime, signaling that it was six o'clock, causing the two startled birds to jump back, turn around, and look out at the window, outside of which they could see the palace in its entire splendor. Cinderella grumbled as she slowly got of her bed and walked towards the window, still holding her pillow in her left hand.

"Oh, that clock!"

Bong!

She raised her fist in frustration. "He's such a killjoy."

Bong!

"I hear you, I hear you! How couldn't I?"

Bong!

"I can just imagine him saying, 'Go on, get up, time to start another day!'"

Bong!

"I can't believe it. Even _he_ orders me around!" The birds frowned disapprovingly, upset that their friend never had a moment's peace.

Bong!

"Well, at least there's one thing he or anybody else can't do. Nobody can order me to stop dreaming, and perhaps someday," then she began to sing again while gently hugging her pillow, _"if I keep on believing the dream I wish for will come true."_

With that she twirled around and began to prepare for her day, humming the same tune she had just been singing. Walking back to her bed, she softly tossed the pillow onto her bed, where she gently fluffed it. Once she was done with that, she gently fluffed her bed sheet so that it lay perfectly on top of her bed. Then she quickly got dressed before sitting down in front of an elaborately decorated vanity which her step mother had let her keep, where she tied a small ribbon in her hair. She had now finished her morning preparation.

"There, time to start another-"

"Cinderelly! Cinderelly!"

Cinderella nearly jumped with a start at the sound of the high, squeaky voice that was excitedly calling her name. She turned around to see one of her mice friends, Jaq, crawl underneath the crease in the doorway before scampering across the floor. He was a small, brown, slender mouse, dressed in clothes which Cinderella had made for him shortly after she first met him just a few years earlier, when she had saved him from one of her stepmother's traps. As soon as she saw him trapped inside the cage, she felt that she could relate to him. She knew all too well what it felt like to be trapped, never being able to do anything she wished.

Once he reached Cinderella, who was still sitting in front of her vanity, he frantically climbed up one of the side legs so that he could talk to her on level with her. When he finally got to the top, he began to speak so quickly that she couldn't understand him. Like all of her mice friends, Jaq had a rather high-pitched voice, and spoke very quickly. Cinderella could understand his speech very well, better than most people could, but right then even she couldn't understand him. He also had not even waited to regain his breath, so he was trying to talk while he was still gasping for air.

"Whoa, whoa, Jaq, slow down! I can't understand a word you're saying. Now what's going on?"

Jaq took a deep breath before speaking as clearly as he could. "I found a new mouse, one I haven't seen before, looks like a visitor."

"Oh, a visitor?" She opened the top drawer, reached in, and pulled out a small pink dress, and placed on top of the vanity. "In, that case she'll need a-"

Jaq started to laugh before she had a chance to finish. Waving his hands wildly in the air, he said, "No, no, no, Cinderelly! It's a he, not a she!"

Cinderella laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Well, that _does_ make a difference," she said with a smile. She put the small dress back in the drawer before taking out a small yellow shirt, green hat, and brown shoes. "Now, where did you find him?"

"Um, in one of your stepmother's traps."

Cinderella looked up in shock. "A trap? Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"I _did _say so in the first place, at least I tried to. But then you- eh, it doesn't matter. Can you set him free?"

"Of course, let's go find him. Where is he?"

"On one of the landings on the stairs."

On that, Cinderella quickly got up and ran out the door to her room and down the long staircase that ultimately lead to the ground floor. It wasn't too long before Cinderella found a cylindrical cage near a landing approximately halfway down. Inside the cage was a small, plump, brown mouse, while two other mice stood guard over it. Cinderella knelt down, picked up the cage, and opened the door to see the mouse shaking at the opposite end.

"Oh, the poor thing is scared to death. Here, Jaq, maybe you'd better talk to him."

After Cinderella placed the cage back on the ground, Jaq nodded and slowly walked towards the mouse inside the cage. But before he had a chance to say anything, the mouse took a swing at him. Barely ducking the swing in time, he raised his arms and shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down, I'm not gonna hurt ya! I'm your friend, and so is Cinderelly here! See?" He gestured towards Cinderella, who kindly smiled at both of them. The mouse smiled in return and loosened up. "She's nice, very nice. C'mon, follow me."

Jaq led him out of the cage and right in front of Cinderella. Cinderella then tried the fit the clothes on the mouse. The shirt was a little snug, but otherwise everything fit fairly well.

"Now all you need is a name. Let's see now…aha! I've got one, Octavius." The mouse looked at her confused. "Hmm, maybe that's a little too much for him," thought Cinderella to herself. She decided that a nickname might help. "But for short, we'll call you 'Gus.' Do you like it?"

"What do you think, Gus Gus? You like it?" Jaq was especially eager to learn what his new friend thought of the name he had been given. Gus hesitated for a second before nodding and giggling. Both Cinderella and Jaq were glad to see that Gus liked his new name.

"Wonderful, now I have to hurry and start my chores. Say, Jaq, Gus, would you like to help me?"

Jaq immediately nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Cinderelly! What you say, Gus Gus? Wanna help Cinderelly?"

"Wanna help Cinderelly? OK."

Cinderella laughed, thinking that Gus didn't really understand the question, but she was glad to have a new friend. After telling Jaq and Gus to follow her, she smiled to herself and continued down the stairs, ready to start the day. Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad after all today.

...

A/N: I went back and re-read the chapters I had posted up to this point and decided there weren't enough deviations from the original movie to make it that interesting, so I decided to reboot the first nine chapters.

Because this was my first chapter I didn't really make any significant changes from the movie, save for a few small added lines. Most notably I gave first names to her father and stepmother as a formality. That might come up again later on in the story. Also, I gave a small story explaining how Cinderella first met Jaq. Again it wasn't really anything serious, but I thought it would add a little to the story. The main addition to the story is the flashback. If you're going to review this story, that's probably the only thing worth reviewing.

If you've read either of the Perrault or the Grimm brothers' fairy tales, you might be able to keep track of what elements I'm including from each version. From the Disney version, I kept the animal friends, the main plot, and all the character names. In keeping with the Grimm fairy tale, Anastasia and Drizella are just as beautiful as Cinderella in this story. In a fanfic that probably doesn't mean much unless I try drawing, too (I might do that at some point). In the Perrault story, it is explicitly mentioned that the younger stepsister is not quite as mean as the older and that "Cinderella" actually isn't her real name, but actually a derisive name. So if you want to keep score throughout this story, in this opening chapter it's Disney: 2, Perrault: 2, and Grimm: ½.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Since this story has now been "updated," I have a request for you readers. These first two chapters should cover approximately the first 15 minutes of the _Disney _version of the story. If you could watch that portion of the movie and compare it to these two opening chapters, I'd really like to know if you think there are enough changes from the film. If you're an old reviewer, let me know in a message. If you're a new reviewer, let me know in a review. Depending on what you think, I might revise this again. Thanks, and enjoy!

Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Encounter

Joined by her two mice friends, Jaq and Gus, Cinderella made her way down the stairs and into the main hallway. The hallways, with its deep carpet and brightly-painted walls, stood in stark contrast with the tower where Cinderella slept. She walked a few steps farther before stopping in front of a pair of curtains. After she opened the curtains, she turned around walked over to the door leading to Drizella's room. Just as she was about to reach for the handlebar, she stopped suddenly. Cinderella remembered that Jaq and Gus were with her. She realized they wouldn't be much help with her early chores, and they probably were not in any hurry to see Lucifer, the family cat, who also slept in her stepmother's room. Luckily, she knew there was a small hole near her doorway where the two mice could hide. She stepped over to the side of the doorway, and got down on her knees.

"Jaq! Gus! Wait inside this hole here. I'll come back for when I'm ready for you to help. Jaq, you might to warn Gus about the cat."

While the two mice went inside the hole in the wall, Cinderella went back to the door to Drizella's bedroom. Ever so slowly, she turned the door handle, and gently pushed on the door, so as not to make any noise. Drizella was more likely than Anastasia to complain if she accidentally woke her up, and she wasn't eager to start her day with any problems. Fortunately when Cinderella stepped inside the room, she found Drizella fast asleep. She slowly walked over a table near her vanity and picked up an empty pitcher. As she headed towards the door, she heard Drizella grown as she was about to wake up. Not wanting to be in the room when her stepsister woke up, she quickly ran out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her. She then walked very slowly towards Anastasia's room and retrieved her pitcher as well.

A thin sliver of sunlight now shone through the narrowly open doorway and into the room. She did not wish to wake her stepmother, either by making too much noise or by sunlight. Back when she was younger, any sort of blunder would have resulted in lashes, and the mere memory of those days was still enough to make Cinderella shudder. Now that she was older, it simply would have resulted in more chores, and while the latter was nowhere near as painful as the former, neither one was at all desirable. Cinderella took a deep breath before she opened the door very slowly, trying to make sure that the sunlight wouldn't wake up her stepmother. When she looked inside the room, she saw that she hadn't. Very slowly, and very nervously, Cinderella crept towards the small table and retrieved the third and final pitcher. Once she was outside the room, Cinderella sighed in relief. She quickly carried the three pitchers down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out in the door into the back garden, where she filled all three of them with water from the well.

Now it was time to take the three pitchers back upstairs. She quickly dropped off the first two pitchers in her stepsisters' rooms. Drizella was starting to stir, but Anastasia was still sleeping soundly. Finally she made it back to her stepmother's room and placed the pitcher back on its table. When she made it back to the doorway, she turned around and motioned for Lucifer to come forward.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," she called out softly, but Lucifer didn't listened to Cinderella. When he looked up and saw that Cinderella standing in the doorway, he stretched and purred before putting his head back down.

"Come on," she called out again. Lucifer responded by merely turning his back towards Cinderella. Whether the cat was still tired, or simply trying to cause trouble, Cinderella neither knew nor cared.

"Lucifer, get down here!" she snapped. "I don't have time for this sort of behavior. I already have enough chores."

The cat finally relented and jumped down from his small bed before slowly crawling out into the hallway, where it began to purr and stretch before Cinderella sharply closed the door, hitting the cat in the rear.

"Look, I'm sorry if Your Highness objects to an early breakfast. It's certainly not _my _idea to feed you first. It's simply orders. If it were my decision, you would…" Cinderella stopped suddenly and frowned. She wasn't normally this snippy. As unpleasant as Lucifer may have been, she knew it wasn't entirely his fault. Cinderella was about to apologize when she suddenly heard one of the doors fling open.

"Cinderella, I'm still trying to sleep! Stop making so much noise!"

Cinderella quickly turned to her left and saw Drizella standing in the doorway, looking very annoyed. Before Cinderella could answer, another door opened and Anastasia stepped into the hallway and shouted, "Drizella, why on Earth are you yelling?"

"It isn't my fault!" Drizella shouted. She gestured wildly towards Cinderella and said, "_She _woke me up with her-"

"I don't care who started it," Anastasia cut her off. "I didn't hear her say anything. You're the one making all the noise."

"You're taking her side over mine?" Drizella asked incredulously.

Anastasia turned to Cinderella before looking back at Drizella, rolling her eyes "I'm going back to bed, so I suggest you keep quiet," she retorted.

Drizella looked at her sister with disgust before resignedly turning around and going back into her room. Once Drizella was gone, Anastasia turned to face Cinderella, who had been silently watching the two arguing, and said, "And what are you doing still standing there? Go and get breakfast ready!" With that, Anastasia turned around and walked back into her room. Cinderella looked down at Lucifer and simply said, "Come on."

With Lucifer following close behind, Cinderella walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she walked over to stove and prepared the fire to cook breakfast. She turned around when she heard a growling sound and found her dog, Bruno, sleeping on the floor, twitching his legs as though he were running. Cinderella assumed he was dreaming. "Bruno," she whispered quietly, but the dog didn't hear her and continued to twitch his legs. After she whispered his name again, the dog stirred awake.

"You were having another one of those dreams about chasing Lucifer, weren't you?" she asked teasingly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Did you catch him this time?" Bruno nodded.

"That's bad," she said disapprovingly, before standing up and walking towards a cabinet. She began to prepare breakfast trays for her stepfamily. "You know that stepmother prefers Lucifer over you. If she heard you upstairs, she might not let you sleep inside the house. If you don't want that to happen, you need to get rid of those dreams. Do you want to know how? Just try to learn how to like cats." Cinderella smirked as she imagined Bruno's face scrunching up in disgust at that notion as she began to pour some milk into a bowl for Lucifer.

"No, I mean it, Bruno," she continued. Lucifer has his good points, too. For one thing he…well, sometimes he…well, there must be _something_ good about him. I simply refuse to believe that anyone is completely bad, not even…not even stepmother." _Do I even believe that? I'm not sure, but she wasn't always like this. But it's been ten years. _Before she could think about it any further, she heard Lucifer screech and she turned around and saw Bruno ready to pounce on the cat.

"Bruno, please!" she cried. The dog lowered its front leg and backed away from Lucifer. Cinderelly motioned towards the back door and led him outside,

"I know he makes things difficult for us, but please try to think about what I said. We really should try to get along together, just like we used to." _Used to_, she thought to herself, _before things went so horribly wrong._

…

_Katharine stood in front of a mirror, her father making sure her light blue dress was on right. Today was going to be a very special day. She was finally going to meet the woman her father had been courting for the past few months. They would be joining her and her father for dinner and she wanted to look her best for it. But she was even more excited to meet her two daughters. According to her father, they were about the same age as she was. She could barely contain her excitement. Maybe she could become close friends with the two girls._

"_Do you think they'll like me, father?" she asked hopefully. _

"_How could they not like you? Just be the little lady you are and their mother will like you, too," he encouraged her. He then reached into his waistcoat and drew out a pocket watch, checking the time. "They should be here within five minutes," he announced. Lord Tremaine quickly led his daughter downstairs where they stood by the main door. Katharine squealed when she heard a sudden knock at the door. "They're here!" she cried out._

_Lord Tremaine grinned and looked down at his "Now, now," he began, "just remember what I said." He then opened the door and saw a beautiful young woman with two very young girls standing outside. "Ah yes, do come in," he said cordially. The woman walked through the door with quick strides, looking around at the lavish interior of the chateau._

"_My, my, Albert, your chateau is even more magnificent than you've described," she said, sounding impressed. She stopped when she saw a young girl with strawberry blonde hair looking up at her. "And you must be Katharine. Your father has told me so much about you, and we finally get to meet."_

_Katharine finally got a better look at the two daughter's flanked on the woman's side. Lord Tremaine quickly went to his daughter's side and realized that introductions were in order. "Katharine, may I present to you Lady Victoria Jocelyn and her two daughters Drizella," he began, gesturing to one of the girls, who was wearing a dark green dress and had hair as raven black as her mother's, "and Anastasia," he said while gesturing to the other girl, who was wearing a deep purple gown and had flaming red hair that seemed to shine in the soft glow of the candlelight. Katharine's lips curled into a wide smile. "Hello," she said sweetly. Both girls gave their best curtsey and said, "Hello, Katharine."_

_Lord Tremaine gently removed Victoria's coat and handed it to a maid. "I imagine you three ladies must be hungry," he said, gesturing towards the dining room. As the evening progressed, the five of them conversed about many things. Katharine never stopped smiling through dinner._

"_Katharine, why are you smiling so much?" Drizella asked suddenly._

"_I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to meet the two of you," she quickly said._

"_Perhaps the three of you may become close friends, maybe even…stepsisters," her father added, glancing over towards Victoria, who seemed to be thinking the same thing._

_Katharine began to smile again. "I hope so. I would love to have a sister." Anastasia began to smile too, while Drizella gave a small nod._

…

Nearly twelve years had passed since that day. For ten of those years Cinderella had been a virtual slave at Lady Tremaine's hands, and her stepsisters treated her little better. _It's been so long. Is there even any chance left? _Cinderella decided that, no matter how hopeless it seemed, she would have to keep trying. She then went inside and absent-mindedly plopped the bowl in front of Lucifer and spat, "That includes you, _Your Majesty_."

Cinderella was about to head back outside before realizing that she'd left Jaq and Gus by the hole next to her stepmother's bedroom door. She quickly ran back upstairs and gathered the two mice in her hands before carrying them downstairs and outside. "Did you tell Gus about the cat, Jaq?" Jaq nodded furiously, telling her about how he imitated cat noises while explaining it. Cinderella giggled as she placed the two mice on the ground. She picked up a large back and dropped several handfuls of corn onto the ground before whispering to the mice, "Just try and place these around as best you can. I'll try to give you more of them

"Breakfast time!" she shouted while throwing more handfuls corn into the air. Several chickens flew from their coops to eat up the kernels. As she reached for another handful, she looked down to the ground and laughed as she saw her mice friends running all over the place, throwing kernels around and trying to run out of the way in order to avoid the hungry chickens' beaks. After several more rounds she grabbed two smaller handfuls and placed them in front of the mice.

"Here's a little reward for you," she said with a smile. "I can take the rest from here."

She hurried over to the stable where her pet horse, Major, was waiting. Her stepmother had let her keep both animals on condition that she'd take care of them. Cinderella had agreed and the both of them provided her with a sense of companionship that she otherwise didn't have. Oftentimes she realized that they were usually the only reason she hadn't completely lost hope. "Good morning!" she greeted him cheerfully as she held out a handful of kernels. The horse whinnied before eagerly nibbling the corn from her hand. She was about to fetch some water to pour into his trough before she heard the sound of a ball ringing and a shrill voice calling out, "Cinderella, hurry up!" It was the near unmistakable voice of her older stepsister Drizella.

"I'm sorry, Major. I'll have to do this later," she said before running back towards the kitchen while Major snorted in disappointment. By the time she made it back into the chateau, a second bell began to ring and Anastasia began calling out for her.

"Cinderella!" she shouted even louder than Drizella.

"I hear you! I hear you! I'm coming!" Cinderella cried out as she frantically tried to arrange three small breakfast trays, each one with a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea. The third bell began to ring, but thankfully her stepmother didn't shout for her, too. She then left the kitchen with Lucifer following close behind for some reason. Running up the stairs as fast as she could, she went into Drizella's bedroom first and placed one of the trays on her bedside table.

"Good morning, Drizella," she said as cheerfully as she could manage, but she knew it would mean nothing. A _good_ morning didn't exist for either stepsister, and Drizella was still smarting about the disturbance that Cinderella had caused earlier.

"Oh, don't give me that, not after you woke me up like that! Take that ironing and have it back in one hour, _one hour_! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Drizella," she said monotonously. She picked the tray back up as she pushed the laundry basket with her foot. Once she had left the room, she left the basket by the closed door, planning to retrieve it when she was ready to go back downstairs. She left the room and went to Anastasia's room next and placed the second tray on her table.

"Good morning, Anastasia," she said not expecting Anastasia to be any less unpleasant. Anastasia did not disappoint.

"Well, it's about time! Take that mending, and don't take all day getting it done, either!"

"Yes, Anastasia," Cinderella mumbled. She pushed another laundry basket out of the room and left it by the door.

Her stepmother didn't wait for her to enter the room before saying something.

"Well, come in, child, come in," she said while trying to sound cordial but Cinderella didn't believe it for a second.

"Good morning, stepmother," she said, regardless.

"Pick up the laundry and get on to your duties," Lady Tremaine said dismissively.

"Yes, stepmother," she said firmly, emerging from the room carrying a third laundry basket.

Cinderella headed back towards Drizella's room to pick up the first laundry basket, while Lucifer continued to sit in the hallway, almost as though he were waiting for something. Suddenly a piercing scream rang out from Anastasia's room. Lucifer quickly raced to the door and caught Gus in his paws as soon as he crawled under the crack in the doorway.

Cinderella ran back towards the hallway at the sound the scream. Suddenly the door flew open and Anastasia ran out into the hallway, screaming frantically.

"Oh mother! Oh mother! Cind-" She stopped suddenly when she saw Cinderella standing there.

"That was _NOT_ funny!" She then stormed over towards her mother's bedroom, her red curls bouncing slightly. Cinderella barely had time to figure out what was wrong before she heard another voice behind her.

"_NOW _what did you do?"

She turned around to find Drizella angrily glaring at her. She was just as unpleasant as she had been an hour ago.

"I didn't do anything!" Cinderella protested.

But Drizella had already run into her mother's bedroom, where she found Anastasia.

"Oh mother, Cinderella put a big ugly mouse underneath my teacup."

Cinderella quickly realized why Lucifer was following her. He must have seen that one of her mice friends ended up underneath one of the teacups and was trying to catch him. She walked over to the cat and demanded, "Alright, Lucifer, where is he?"

Lucifer opened his front paws, which were empty, but Cinderella wasn't in any mood to play games with him.

"You're _not_ fooling me," she snapped before grabbing Lucifer and lifting him up in the air. He kept one of his back paws on the ground.

"Come on, let him go."

Lucifer reluctantly lifted the other paw, revealing Gus, who quickly ran away.

"Cinderella?"

She dropped Lucifer to the floor and silently walked towards her stepmother's bedroom door. Anastasia and Drizella had since emerged from the room and Cinderella walked past the two of them.

"Oh, are _you_ going to get it." Anastasia sneered angrily.

"Anastasia, I swear I had no idea there was a mouse under your teacup! I would never do that to you!"

Anastasia folded her arms and glared at her with her ice-blue eyes. "Well, then just how do you explain how it got there?"

Cinderella struggled for a moment to come up with an answer. She realized she couldn't win the argument. When no answer came, Anastasia merely said, "I thought so."

She went inside the room without saying anything. Her stepmother was now sitting up in her bed, sipping from her teacup, and glaring at Cinderella with her pale, green eyes. Lucifer had gone inside just ahead of Cinderella and curled up on her stepmother's lap.

"Close the door, Cinderella."

Cinderella turned around and saw that Anastasia and Drizella were trying to follow her inside, so she quickly closed the door on them. She could hear the two sisters pushed each other back and forth, trying to see what would happen through the keyhole.

"I certainly hope you didn't expect to get away with that," she said shortly

"Please, stepmother, I'd never mean to-" Cinderella began.

"Hold your tongue." Lady Tremaine cut her off before taking another sip from her tea.

"Now, it seems we have too much time on our hands," she continued.

"But, I was only trying to-" She began again.

"Silence! Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now, let me see... There's the large carpet in the main hall- Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down- Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies."

"But I just finished-" Cinderella began once more before her stepmother turned to her side and held up something.

"Does someone need to be reminded of what happens when they disobey me?" she asked cruelly. Cinderella realized that she was holding a whip. Her eyes widened in fear and she quickly cried out, "No! I'm sorry, stepmother!"

Lady Tremaine smirked in satisfaction and said, "That's better, Cinderella. Now do them again! And don't forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys. And of course there's the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry. "Oh, yes, and one more thing: see that Lucifer gets his bath."

Cinderella realized that she had backed herself into a corner. By cowering at the sight of the whip, she had allowed her stepmother to force more chores on her. But she didn't want to suffer even further. What choice did she have? She sighed softly and said, "Yes stepmother," before she walked out of the room and saw that Anastasia and Drizella were still standing there. They quickly reminded her of the chores they had demanded of her.

"I still want my laundry!" Anastasia shouted.

"I asked for my ironing first!" Drizella retorted, and the two began to argue with each other. Before she could stop herself, Cinderella turned around and snapped, "Anastasia, Drizella, please! I can only do so much at once!"

She winced, half expecting one of them to report what she had just said to their mother, or worse. Surprisingly, the two of them merely glanced at each other before looking back at Cinderella.

"You can have _two_ hours," Drizella said softly.

"Just get it done by this afternoon," Anastasia relented.

The two girls then silently went back to their rooms, leaving Cinderella standing there in surprise. Her stepsister had just eased up on her, even if it wasn't that much. _Maybe there still is hope for them_, she thought to herself as she walked down the stairs.


End file.
